New To Detailing and Have a Car Worth Preserving!

[Savethemanuals]

Hello All,

I recently acquired an extremely clean e36 M3 and drove it over 18 hours home. The car had supposedly been professionally ceramic coated several years ago and the paint shows nicely/is smooth to the touch. Unfortunately I got caught in some rain recently and need to wash the car soon due to water spots/road film from the trip.

My question to the forum is two fold.. this is the first car I have owned which is worth preserving, I have always kept my cars clean but they generally were daily drivers and generally lower cost vehicles so I do not have any true experience to draw on in terms of exterior/interior maintenance and preservation. Secondly, I truly want to keep this car in excellent condition but am slightly overwhelmed by amount of information (and products) available to enthusiasts. I am hoping that some of the more experienced and generous users on this forum can help me get started with basics. I have read a few of Mike's guides regarding washing cars with ceramic coatings, would you suggest I start there despite not knowing how long it has been since this coating was applied? Are there any How-To's that you found especially useful when starting out? I am located in Texas so the car will see hot days during the summer and being black on black an emphasis should be placed on persevering exterior rubbers/plastics and interior leather/vinyl.

Appreciate any suggestions or tips as I get started on this journey. FYI I attempted to upload a few images of the car but it failed. Assuming there is a post limit before attachments can be uploaded.

 

[Lance Mark]

I'm new, but super enthusiastic and have been learning a lot.

First thing you need to do is learn how to care for it properly.

This is a short video on how to properly wash your car.

Here's a long one if you want to learn more.

If it's in great shape or you need to correct it and then want to keep it in great shape, best to learn how to avoid undoing your hard work.

Welcome to the boards, this is a great place to learn.

 

[oneheadlite]

Welcome to the forum!

Congrats on the M3! Is it stock or modded? Any plans either way?

If it was coated several years ago you could start by doing a basic decontamination wash and see what the behavior is like. Personally, since you're in TX, I'd probably just plan on starting fresh to make sure you're best protected. If you're happy with the paint condition as far as swirls and whatnot, I'd just hit it with a light polish to clean it up and apply your LSP (last step product) of choice (Which one is the million dollar question...).

My other suggestion since you're new would be to just hang out for a bit and pour through the forum before going out and buying a ton of stuff. Figure out what your goals are, then research what could be the best way to get you there. I'm guilty of over-buying stuff when I first started just because it was getting talked about a lot at the time.

What kind of supplies do you have already?

Also, If you ever need help/have questions on the mechanical side, feel free to PM me - I'm a tech and do mainly BMW. I've also had both an E30 and E36 M3 (both Alpine White over Black) in the past.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

FYI I attempted to upload a few images of the car but it failed. Assuming there is a post limit before attachments can be uploaded.

I don't think there's a post limit - it's just most people have a hard time getting pictures into their messages. I don't but use my PC computer or TapaTalk.


The easy way to share a picture on a forum - Tapatalk App for your cell phone


As a person that shares a LOT of pictures in the forum world using the best way, which is to upload pictures to a gallery so the pictures have an actual cyber home with an actual cyber address, I completely understand that the majority of people don't know how to do this and don't have the patience or wherewithal to figure it out.


So with that said, here's the easy way, simply get the TapaTalk App on your phone. Links below for the type of phone you have.


Link for TapaTalk for iPhone


Link for TapaTalk from Google Play


I don't have a tutorial on how to then use the App but I figure it out and if I can do it - most of you should be able to look at the interface and with a little experimenting - figure it out.


icture: icture: icture: icture: icture:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

And here's an article on how to wash a ceramic coated car....


How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach

 

[joshhas99problems]

If you have any e36 m3 specific questions feel free to DM me. I have a couple of them View attachment 72925

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